Choice of the Soul
by LunarBlaze
Summary: Ten years have passed since the gang's last adventure, and now the next generation has stepped forward. Despite the peace that surrounds DWMA, another evil is planning on rising. It is now up to the newest set of heroes to protect the world. Are they up to the challenge or will the world fall apart to this new enemy? Maybe so. Maybe not. (Reboot of the original The Choice of Soul)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello guys! Alright so this is the reboot fanfic of the original Choice of Soul. First off, the reason why it was restarted is because I've neglected it for over a year. Second of all, the grammar was quite bad. So hopefully this one turns out better. Anyways, another reason why this is being rebooted is because one of my close friends really liked this fanfic and I felt bad for not continuing so now I will try my best to. Well, time to let you guys read the new chapter of the reboot! Enjoy!**_

**Choice of Soul**

**Chapter 1**

"Not again! I'm late! Every single time I set my alarm this happens!" a young brunette shouted to himself as he ran through the streets. As the young man hurried through the streets, he felt like all the clocks were mocking him. Again. Then again, Nick Kiioru was notorious for being late. He never meant to be late on purpose, but some way or another, the world always found a way to make him. And unfortunately for Nick, he wasn't entirely built to hurry every day of his life. He stood at about five-foot-one and had a slim frame. His build was a bit lanky and his skin was quite light, almost pale even. His features, however, were quite normal. His messy hair was a light copper shade while his eyes were a bright amber color. "Ms. Albarn is going to _kill_ me when I get there! Either that or give me another remedial lesson or detention! Why do I have to have the worse luck in history?!"

Despite all of these thoughts running through the young student's head, a different scenario was about to unfold instead.

* * *

"First day here and I'm still waiting outside the room even though class started ten minutes ago." The clock in the hall ticked by a young girl sighed. The said girl had black hair that was in a low ponytail that barely surpassed her shoulders. She had dark blue eyes that almost seemed as dark as the night while her skin was lightly tanned. She sported a short-sleeved, black jacket with a light red shirt underneath; dark jeans; and a pair of dark brown boots. So far, the young Summer Ryuuken was not impressed with the school. "What's taking so long…?" Summer glanced around the hall, half expecting a teacher or student to walk by and tell her she's at the wrong class.

Her expectation was met. Somewhat.

As Summer began to take a seat on the floor, the echoing sound of footsteps caught her attention. Before long, she heard frantic mumbling from a blur coming toward her. Well, before it stopped right in front of her. The one before her barely matched her height, possibly three or four inches shorter. He wore a long-sleeved shirt that was mostly white besides a few strange patterns at the bottom of it. He also had jeans and a pair of dark red tennis shoes. Despite his normal appearance, he was wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves. The two stared at each other for a second before the shorter became a stuttering mess. Summer could pick up an apology here and there, but other than that, she could barely make any sense out of what he was saying.

Despite all feeling, she allowed the boy to stutter on as she inspected him more. He had band-aid on the bridge of his nose and a patch on his left cheek. Whether he clumsy or something or someone had caused it, she couldn't tell. However, Summer noticed his face began to redden as she continued to scan over him. "C-Could you please… not do that…?" the boy asked, obviously trying to hold back his stuttering. As Summer opened her mouth, the door creaked open, revealing a woman with light dusty blonde hair in pigtails.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Summer. I had to settle down the class and take roll call. You can come in now," the teacher said before looking at the brunette. "And I see you're late again, Nick. We'll discuss your punishment at the end of class again." Nick nodded and scurried inside, shame painting over his face. Once Nick was passed her, Summer entered the classroom and scanned over the crowd. There quite a lot of them, some of them staring back at her or too occupied doing something else.

"Hello there. I'm Summer Ryuuken and I am a duel sword Weapon. So if you want to learn how to be ambidextrous, just come find me and I'll be more than happy to teach you how." Without another word, Summer headed up toward the highest row of seats. She could feel some of the students staring at her, some with anger and others with enjoyment. It was no shock to her. However, there was one pair of eyes that wouldn't stop glancing at her. He certainly wasn't stealthy or discreet.

"Now with that, please take out your notes and pencils so we can begin class." Despite several moans coming from the students, class began.

Despite having to write notes down quite quickly, Summer felt that the class was still slow. Especially since she tended to finish her notes quickly (being ambidextrous came in handy). In-between the breaks, she found herself checking the little brunette from earlier. She noticed that whenever he caught up, their instructor just moved on. He must have been pretty slow. But… something caught her attention. Underneath his sleeves were streaks of white with dabs of red. He was injured. "_Maybe that's why?"_ she thought as her attention was brought back to her notes. It wasn't long until class was over.

Unlike her classmates, she waited for all of them to leave. She had a few questions, one in particular being how to get around the school. She had no map of the floors. Then she remembered Nick, who was silently making his way to the teacher's desk. He still had to hear what his punishment was. Sighing, Summer sat back down and waited for the other to leave. "Alright, Nick. This is the fifth time this week you've been late. Usually, I would assign you a remedial lesson, but because of Miss Ryuuken, I'll give you a different punishment. You will be giving her a tour of the school, and for the rest of the week, if she has any questions, you will be the one to answer them." Nick flinched, stuttering quite loudly in the process.

"B-But, M-Maka! Y-You know w-what-" Miss Albarn raised her hand, signaling him to shut his mouth.

"Usually, I would scold you for using my first name at school, but that's beside the point. The point is that this is both your punishment and a good way to make a friend. Besides, you haven't had a partner in two years with this being your third. You can't avoid this much longer, Nick."

"…Right… I…I guess I'll get started on it now. S-See you tomorrow, Miss Albarn…" the little brunette dragged himself over to the door and looked up at the black-haired Weapon, who was just watching. "A-Are you coming…?" Summer scanned Nick over once more before making her way down. Without another word, the two left the classroom.

* * *

As the two of them explored the large school, Nick couldn't help but feel more and more uncomfortable. He stayed quiet and only talked when answering a question or explaining a part of the school. He wasn't used to having someone tag along with him and socializing was still quite foreign to him. Well, there was also the fact that Summer inspected him from top to bottom like he was an item for sale. If she was thinking of teaming up with him, she would be crazy. It would have been better if he was born a Weapon, but that was not the case. He was a Meister, and a horrible one at that. Nothing could change that. Nothing.

And he was ashamed of that. He wasn't naturally athletic or strong. That much was obvious. He was short and small build wise. Practically a tooth pick in some cases. It didn't help that most of his classmates picked on him. He was pathetic. Plain and simple. But Summer didn't seem to pick up on that. So he tried to ignore it.

"And this is the library… You can find pretty much anything here from the most sophisticated research book to manga and comic books," Nick said as the two of them explored the bottom floor. "Th-There are a few stair c-cases to reach the upper l-levels so if one of th-them is b-being used a sitting area, there will al-always be another to use." The Weapon nodded, staring straight at Nick. He had been trying to keep his composure together this whole time, but now it was falling apart. His awkwardness was taking over again so the stuttering kicked in as well. "H-Hey, Summer… C-Could you please… not… stare at me…?" Nick felt his cheeks heat up. He was always the worst around girls. Almost every interaction with a girl made it look like he had a crush on them or something. Almost. There were a few exceptions.

"But I'm trying to… 'understand' you in a way. I heard that you've been partnerless for two years and even your build and personality makes me wonder why you would want to be here. I know I'm getting personal, but why did you join if you were going to avoid having a partner?" Summer crossed her arms, waiting for an answer. Nick looked away and squeezed his wrist behind his back.

"…I-I have a lot of reasons for doing so… But… I'd rather not tell you…" Nick answered in a hushed voice, making his way past Summer. He would never answer that. Not in a million years.

"What do you mean you'd rather not tell m-" Summer stopped talking as Nick fell to his knees, a faint echo bouncing off the walls. The back of his head pounded as he glanced at a book that had fallen next to him.

"_Looks like the world still hates me…"_ Nick thought as he rose back up to his feet. He could hear Summer try to approach him, but he continued to exit the library as if a book hadn't just fell from the second floor and hit him square on the head. Nick could hear the Weapon calling after him so he began to run. He had made a fool of himself, showing her one of the many reasons why he was pathetic. Accident prone… He could still hear the teasing voices echo in his head. Why did everything have to go wrong? For once in his life, couldn't something go right?!

Nick continued to run through halls, trying to escape from everything. He felt his feet trip over each other as he plummeted downward. Just below him was a flight of stairs. He had ran to a staircase without even knowing. Then he stopped. Nick stared at the steps before he was tugged back and turned around. Summer was holding his wrist tightly and panting. She was yelling something, but it sounded like static as the adrenaline continued to pump through Nick's veins.

"-and you could have died if I hadn't caught you in time! And then what?! You're such an idiot!" The adrenaline was finally passing and he could finally make out something she was saying. He muttered a quiet apology before wincing. His wrists were beginning to throb from Summer's tight grip. "I knew it! I knew your wrists were injured! Why are you so reckless?!" Summer shouted at him. Nick shrugged absentmindedly, not knowing how else to answer the other. She sighed and patted Nick's head. "Listen, I'm taking you back to wherever you live so you can rest. We can finish this tour tomorrow. I just need you to rest. But you will answer my questions, though. Got it?" Nodding once again, though reluctantly, Nick mumbled his address to Summer before letting her drag him off the campus.

She was… nice. But he also had questions for her. Many questions. But they would come later.

_**Alright. As you can see for this chapter, this is somewhat of a combination between chapters 1 and 2 of the original but a lot has changed. I also changed Summer's last name since it sounded a bit strange to me. Physical descriptions were changed a little as well. A little. As for narration, I kind of wanted you guys to get a better idea of their thoughts without going into first person perspective completely. Anyways, since this is a reboot, unlike the original, I will not take any OCs as I will be using the ones I originally accepted. Like always, unless I state the OC is mine, I will credit the submitters when their OCs make their first appearance. Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter, and hopefully, I can finish the second chapter sometime this month. Expect a few OCs making minor appearances. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you guys next time!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Welcome back to another chapter. It took awhile to write this chapter. The conversation is somewhat similar to the second chapter to the original, but overall, this is new. So this is an example of newly added chapters while the previous one is an example of chapter merges. I will probably just remove an old chapter entirely at some point, but it will happen the least amount of times while new additions will happen more frequently. Anyways, enjoy the fic!**_

**Choice of Soul**

**Chapter 2**

It had taken awhile to find Nick's home in Death City, but eventually, the pair had made it. Nick wasn't too useful during the search, considering he had clammed up and refused to speak until they got there. As Nick opened the door for them, Summer couldn't help but look over him again. He had potential at being a good Meister. Sure, he was small and pretty thin, but everyone had potential. And for some reason, Nick was just screaming potential. Even if he didn't notice, Summer certainly did. "H...Here we are... Just... take a seat on the couch..." Nick said quietly as he entered his apartment. All students of DWMA were given a place to stay if they didn't already have one. Generally, partners stayed together in the same place, but that was if they wanted to. Because of that, they had to compromise on what the place looked like. But that wasn't the case with Nick.

His apartment was to say... plain. The combined kitchen and living room was pretty empty. In the kitchen, a small white table with four foldable chairs was set up near a window that over looked a part of Death City. As for the living room half, there was only a black couch that looked like it could only fit two or three people. The only other object in the "room" was a wooden coffee table. Beyond the room was a hallway with three doors, probably leading to the bedrooms and a bathroom. Overall, the place was as barren as the desert. No pictures, no painted walls, no changes to the floor, and so little furniture. With the place as empty and wide as it was, it made Nick look like he was even smaller.

"Not to be rude, but your place is... pretty plain. Don't you have anything that belongs to you?"

"Other than some belongings in the bathroom and my room, no... I-I didn't think it would be really necessary to add furniture when the apartment comes with it while you're attending DWMA," Nick answered quietly as he made his way to the kitchen. Summer worried a little about the other. He was... fragile. That much was obvious. The Meister was easily scared, a nervous wreck, and had no backbone whatsoever. He was a child that was afraid of their own shadow.

"...You still have to answer my questions. You promised."

"I-I know... Why don't you start...?"

"Alright then. First things first. You've been attending DWMA for about two- almost three years now, right? If so, why don't you have a partner?" the black haired Weapon asked, causing the brunette to flinch.

"...I... I'm not... the strongest or the most athletic as you can see... a-and I'm an accident prone as well... and... I..." Nick gulped, still not making eye contact with Summer. "I can't use... Soul Perception... and every time I use a Weapon, I...I end up..." Nick's voice faltered and faded, mumbling the last part. Deciding it wasn't the best to question further on the topic, Summer moved on.

"...Did you ever have a partner?"

"...For the first year, people were willing to team up with me temporarily... but... I had one partner that stayed around longer than the others... They...They gave up on me after a couple of hunts... I was threatened if I didn't agree to let them go. It didn't take much to do so... A-After that… no one was willing to team up with me, both new and old students..." Nick mumbled out, having stopped whatever he was doing in the kitchen. He was shaking as if cold water had just been poured on him. He looked so weak. So pathetic. So... sad. It made Summer mad. She wanted to punch to wall, kick a chair, do anything to vent her anger.

Nick was obviously a Meister that was never given a chance. It wasn't his fault that he was the way he was. "You're not pathetic," Summer started, walking up to the brunette. "Honestly, if I was in your shoes, I would beat the living daylights out of everyone who thought I was bad luck or something like that. But you... you've put up with this for three years now. You haven't snapped yet. You're stronger than you think." Placing her hand on his shoulder, Summer couldn't help but smile a little. Nick tensed up at the touch but looked like on the verge of tears. It was a good sign. It was a definite good sign when he turned around and hugged her tightly, crying some incoherent words into her shoulder. Summer was, to say the least, glad. From the look of things, Nick's emotions had built up quite a bit. Whether it was years' worth of tears or just from the conversation, she was glad he was letting them out instead of holding them in. It took him a good twenty minutes to calm down, and the two of them had moved to the couch without them even noticing.

Nick was still a sniffling mess but had calmed down to where he could form words. Summer wasn't hugging him anymore but still had a firm grip on his shoulder to comfort him. "You alright now?" she asked as she slowly released her grip. He nodded in response, slowly looking up at the Weapon.

"Y...Yeah... Sorry about that... I just... No one's really been supportive before besides my family... Th-Thank you..." Nick said quietly while wiping his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down in shame. "S-Sorry for wasting your time… Y-You can go now if you w-"

"I'm going to become your partner."

"W-What?" Summer stood up from the couch and turned to face Nick. His head had shot up at the statement. The black-haired Weapon grinned as she began to elaborate.

"From this point on, I'm going to be your partner. I'm going to be the one to make you grow a backbone and to stand up for yourself. Probably also get you on a better diet too. You look like you could eat a whole Thanksgiving dinner if you wanted to. And besides, it looks like you could use a friend in your life." Summer placed her hands on her hips, waiting for his response. Nick looked absolutely stunned. Flabbergasted. "Come on, Nick! This would be great for both of us! And I'm not taking no for an answer." The young Meister attempted to say something, but held himself back. Before she could ask, a quiet voice caught her attention, bringing a smile to her face.

"F...Fine... but as a warning... y-you could get hurt being my Weapon," Nick answered as he stood up, looking down at the ground with a blush on his face. Summer wrapped her arm around the small Meister and made her smile even bigger.

"I don't care, you dork. I'm just glad you accepted. And so, that means we're going to be living with each other from this point on!" Summer exclaimed as she headed out the front door. She could hear a strange sounding squeak come from inside as Nick hurried after her.

"W-Wait! H-Hold o- S-S-SUMMER!"

* * *

A young woman stared into a window, watching two teens make small talk. The girl was smiling and listening to the young boy before her. He appeared to be nervous, but was talking anyways. The small scene brought a small smile onto the lady's face as she pulled out a locket from her pocket. "Looks like you don't need to worry about our little brother much longer. He's finally met someone who's compatible with him. Even though he can't see it, their wavelengths match up unbelievably well. I'll keep an eye on him still, but at least, I won't have to constantly have to worry about his health. Continue to watch after him for when I can't. He still misses you dearly, Ryu," the woman mumbled to herself as she watched the pair continue to talk with the black-haired girl taking over the conversation. She smiled softly to herself once again before walking away. "Goodnight, Nick. I'll see you in the morning."

_**For those of you who have read the original will probably know a couple of things already, but again, don't say anything. Well, not much commentary from me this time around so I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time guys!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Back again guys! Man, I've been writing chapters like crazy for this story. I'm already working on the next two chapters (chapter four is going to be a result of a rewrite of this chapter and five is a rewrite of four). I'll start introducing the OCs starting next chapter. The plan is to introduce one or two pairs per chapter along with their connections to certain OCs and Summer and Nick (just so you guys know). I'll also be introducing a new pair, one that wasn't in the original. I guess you can say that pair will be... Nick and Summer's foils. Anyways, that new pair will be my OCs. Alright. That's about it for the top set of Author Notes so enjoy the chapter!_**

**Choice of Soul**

**Chapter 3**

A couple of days had passed since Summer and Nick had become partners. Most of the students at DWMA were surprised to say the least. Some were upset that they couldn't pair up with the dual sword Weapon. Others questioned as to how the brunette Meister paired up with Summer. Overall, the whole ordeal received multiple reactions. Only a handful of students didn't question the partnership and moved on. A handful would even say this was a good thing.

However, with all of the buzz going around and the amount of people questioning the little Meister, Nick had retreated to his bedroom and refused to come out. Nick was not a people person and was more comfortable with being left alone like before. But now? Now he couldn't find a moment where his classmates wouldn't be questioning him. It scared him to death. "Nick, come out of there already! I am getting tired of having to relay every detail of the notes to you! Please come out!" Summer shouted from the other side of his door. At first, he had feared that Summer would break down the door, but now he had come to realize that she respected people's privacy. "Nick, say something!"

"Just go to school, Summer... I'll come out once all of the commotion calms down."

"It's not going to calm down unless you start showing up! None of it is going to go away unless you just ignore their stupid questions! They've stopped questioning me after a couple of days." Nick stayed silent as he thought it through. Maybe if he stuck close to Summer, then maybe they would leave him alone. It took a few minutes for him to think it over. Eventually, he pulled off the covers and looked at the door with a blank, but frightful look.

"O-Okay..." Nick answered as he got out of bed and unlocked his door. Due to not coming out of his for the past five days, he looked like a mess. His hair was messy and disheveled, and he hadn't changed out of his clothes which were now wrinkled and sagged on him. Somehow, he looked even thinner from barely eating. Nick hadn't even shown himself to Summer so she looked quite shocked when he appeared before her. However, the shock soon turned into something like irritation, causing her to grab his shoulders and stare him down a little.

"You're horrible at taking care of yourself, Nick. Go change, take a quick bath, and brush your teeth. I'll go make you a quick breakfast," she said as she hurried off to the kitchen. Nick didn't have the guts to disobey the Weapon so he scurried into the bathroom without a word. At first, he would stay in the same spot until Summer would push him into the bathroom herself. But now, it was just a routine to listen to her.

It was nice that someone cared though. Someone who was willing to be rough and pushy to the Meister without hurting him. He was really warming up to the female Weapon. He wouldn't tell her that though. He would just end up jinxing it.

* * *

Summer didn't know what to think of Nick anymore. He was such a shy guy and the littlest bit of attention scared him. But he was nice. He was always polite and considerate to others. He was well-known among some of the citizens and was complimented by them whenever the two of them passed through. Apparently, his helpfulness has led to his tardiness at school at times. He was too modest though, always saying it was nothing. At least, he never let it get to his head. What confused her was that he wasn't attached to anyone. Nick didn't socialize with people at school or anyone in town. The only person he seemed to ever talk about was his sister. He was around her quite often, but Summer had never seen her. The Weapon knew he wasn't lying or making her up. Nick was too... simple to make up things about his life. He would only cover up his life and lie about his health.

Summer sighed as she waited for Nick to finish getting ready. There was one thing though. He was more complicated than most people probably thought. He was... never happy. Always nervous, reserved, quiet, scared, and... sad. Sadness was always a noticeable emotion from the brunette. She wanted him to smile, to be happy. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to become his partner. Summer wanted to him happy. _"Was he always like this...?"_

On the way to school, Nick continuously made excuses and tried to get out of going. He was even more nervous than usual. Once they arrived though, he became deathly silent and clung onto Summer like a life raft. He ignored everyone like he was told to, but in a worrisome way. The Meister had, in a sense, ignored everyone's existence besides Summer's. He didn't flinch when people bumped into him or when they asked him questions. He just avoided all eye contact and kept his face hidden by smothering it into her shoulder. Some had poked fun at him for such actions, but he just ignored them as well, even when Summer had punched a couple of them. At that point, everyone left the pair alone.

He wasn't acting like himself.

He was hiding something again.

He was pushing away all of his emotions again.

She had to break that habit of his. Teach him to open up, and not live in so much fear.

* * *

By the time they were allowed to leave, Summer just about had it. Nick hadn't even spoken one word to her the whole time. She was going to confront the Meister about it, whether he liked it or not. And so she did as soon as they exited the building, stopping right outside the entrance. "Alright, Nick. What is going on? I'm glad you listened to my advice about just ignoring people about the matter, but clinging onto me like a lost child? That...That worries me. If it was because you were scared, then I understand. But if not, then why?" she asked while trying to pry the brunette off her shoulder. Despite being the weaker of the two, he wouldn't budge, tightening his grip and keeping his head down. If he didn't make eye contact, Nick could lie as much as he wanted, and she wouldn't know. Her partner was always the easiest to read when looking into his eyes. Nick wasn't always physically expressive (only expressing negatively so far), but his eyes told no lie and said everything he couldn't say. She would know. Summer had picked that up from the small conversations they had the first night they stayed together.

"I..." Summer frowned as she listened to the Meister struggle to form words. She thought he would lie and say he was fine. That nothing was wrong, but he was hesitating. "I just..." His grip tightened again, and his body began to tremble. He was struggling.

"...You were scared, right? Worried that they... would hurt you...?" the Weapon asked quietly, slowly pulling her partner into a hug. Despite staying silent, Summer could feel her shoulder becoming wet with tears. It wasn't as much of a downpour like last time. No, he was silent, hiccupping ever now and then but gave no real indication he was sobbing. She sighed to herself, knowing that that was still a lot to learn about her partner. That it would take a lot to gain his trust and break his bad habits. "Hey, Nick. How about we get take-out for dinner tonight? Then we could get ready for that exam. Besides, there's this one place I've been dying to try," Summer said, trying to lighten the mood.

"S...Sure..." Nick replied, pulling his face away to reveal his tear-ridden face. Summer smiled and patted his head, ending the comforting hug. Once Nick fully calmed down, the pair left the courtyard, creating small talk on the way. It may have been her imagination, but for a second, there appeared to be a smile on Nick's face when he pulled away. A sad but happy smile.

_**Alright. Not my best chapter and I wasn't too detailed with this one. I feel bad for that. Hopefully, I can make next chapters better. Anyways, I'm sure you guys are starting to pick up on the dynamic between these two. They're both equal (Nick doesn't think that but they are), but it just isn't quite noticeable yet. If you don't see it now, don't worry I would be happy to explain it or just let you guys read on and see for yourselves. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! See you next time!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Seems like I've been doing fairly well with sticking with a schedule. Somewhat. Anyways, this is the first introductory to a new pair. I was going to write two pairs into this chapter but I thought it would be better to be fair and let every pair have their own chapter. This is the new pair to the story. In other words, you guys get to meet Nick and Summer's foils. I tried with them. I honestly did. Anyways, enjoy!**_

**Choice of Soul**

**Chapter 4**

A week had passed since the accident prone and the dual sword Weapon had paired up. Everyone at this point had gotten over the initial shock over the little event. Everyone, except Owen Free.

Similarly to Summer, he was new to DWMA. Although, he had come to the school at the very beginning of the year. Every Weapon, who didn't have a partner already, wanted him. There were a couple of reasons why. First off, it was his appearance. He was quite tall, standing at five-foot-seven, and had a nice athletically built body. He wasn't too muscular, but just enough so he wasn't lanky. He had dark sandy blonde hair that was neat and ended just below his ears while most of his bangs hung in the middle of his forehead. His eyes, in contrast, were an emerald shade. As for his clothes, he wore a light green t-shirt with short sleeves and black jeans. He also sported a pair of black boots and a single black wrist protector below his right hand.

Second of all, he was rumored to have a special wavelength. One that could match just about anyone's except for a few. The whole time he had been attending DWMA, Owen had been waiting for the perfect Weapon to come along. And that Weapon was Summer Ryuuken.

Owen had planned on approaching Summer after she was used to the school, but the next day, she was partnered up and already taken. He wanted to grab the little squirt and question him as to how. Then again, Summer wouldn't let anyone near her Meister. She protected him. And it was pathetic. A Meister and a Weapon were supposed to be equal, but instead the brunet let Summer do all of the work for him. He truly was a sad sack of-

"Still moping around about Ryuuken, Owen?" Owen turned to see his current partner standing over him. He was Taylor Jones, a redhead with quite a calm demeanor. His hair was a combination between curly and fluffy, ending just below his ears. His eyes were darker and matched the shade of chocolate. He was about five-foot-six and had a bigger, slightly more muscular build than Owen. Also, his skin was quite tanned in contrast to Owen's lighter skin tone. Taylor sported a dark blue hoodie, a pair of jeans, and black tennis shoes. Sitting on the bridge of his nose was a pair of silver-rimmed glasses.

Taylor had been attending DWMA just as long as Owen had. However, he had been switching between multiple partners due to being extremely picky. Unfortunately, in the end, Owen and Taylor became partners. They didn't hate each other, despite having fights every now and then. The pair had grown up together and were actually step-brothers. It was sheer luck that Taylor was a Weapon, but it was unfortunate due to them finding it awkward. They were brothers being forced to team up due to there being no one else they could stand or team up with.

"I'm not moping, Taylor. I just think Summer deserved better."

"You only know the little Meister because of stuff you hear from everyone around you. They could always be wrong."

"And you're one to talk. You don't even try to remember people's names so you just use stupid titles or something else like their last names until you learn them." Taylor stared at his brother blankly before taking a seat next to him. Owen sighed as the other went silent. He knew once his brother became irritated, Taylor wouldn't acknowledge the Meister's existence until he calmed down. Until then, it was pointless trying to get his attention.

Not like he needed to. As soon as Owen deviated his attention away from Taylor, the classroom door shot open, revealing a very pissed Summer with her trembling partner behind her. "I swear... Some people just don't learn," she remarked as she made her way to her seat with the brunet following closely behind. "You alright, Nick?"

"I-I'm fine... They only got one punch in..." the short Meister replied, stuttering slightly. Summer patted his head lightly, and they both took their seats that were situated on the other side of the classroom. The blond rolled his eyes at the brunet. He could never be a Meister.

"You're such a wimp. You're always hiding behind your pa-"

_THUD_

Owen was on the floor in seconds when he found Summer standing above him, one foot on his chest and a blade aimed at his neck. Her eyes were filled with venomous rage while heat radiated from her sword arm. He was quite surprised at the sudden reaction. "Don't you ever say anything like that. Nick is much tougher than you think, and if it was his decision, he probably would just take all the insults and punches without complaining. Sure, he would be sad and hurt, but at least, he wouldn't use his situation to get pity." Before a single word could be exchanged, Summer disappeared and was back at her Meister's side. She was sending glares at Owen. Deadly glares.

"Well, that escalated quickly. She's quite the protective Weapon isn't she?" Taylor glanced at Owen as the Meister got back up. He was still quite shocked, but most of it was gone already.

"Yeah..." Owen muttered before returning his attention back to the front of the class. Ms. Albarn had just walked in, grabbing everyone's attention. Apparently, she didn't witness what everyone else just had.

"Okay, students. Listen up. Before we get started with today's lesson, I want to inform you all that the hunting assignments have been updated for this month. And I also want to give you all a reminder that the exam is coming up in one week." Owen surveyed the room, picking out the different reactions. Some students were shocked, not remembering being told. Others didn't care or appeared confident. The rest were just a combination of multiple reactions. And then he picked out Summer and her Meister.

Summer didn't appear fazed at all and was going through her notes quickly. It was obvious that she was prepared. As for her partner, he was... a mix of emotions. He had a look of panic and surprise painted across his face. But in a second, his expression relaxed, as if remembering something. Why was he suddenly confident? From what happened during the last test, the small teen didn't even finish his and had to retake it. He couldn't even focus with some of the more rowdy students bothering him.

"You really have to get over that habit of yours," Taylor mumbled in a matter-of-fact tone. Owen turned to Taylor, giving him a blank look.

"Old habits die hard, Taylor. You should know that," the Meister replied. "Don't forget we need to check the hunting assignments after class."

"I know. We've been skipping a lot of training," Taylor said with a hint of annoyance in his tone. Owen knew Taylor didn't deviate from his training schedule often, and unless there was a good reason to, he would never skip on.

"We'll get one by the end of the week at the latest, Taylor. I promise." With that, the two ended their conversation.

_**And there we go! You guys got to meet Owen and Taylor. I know they may not seem like the nicest of guys right now, but you'll get to know them better later on. If you guys are confused on something about them, don't be afraid to say so, either through a review or PM. I won't mind, but I'm not going to spoil anything though. Well, next **_**_introductions will be all the previously submitted pairs so that should be another three chapters, then we should start getting into some... pretty interesting stuff. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alright. Finally back with another chapter of the reboot. Not my best chapter at all. It could have used more details, but I was in a rush. Anyways, the introductions will sort of start around the same time as each other and the endings will vary. Anyways, after this chapter, we will only have two more main pairs to introduce. Well, enjoy the chapter!**_

**Choice of Soul**

**Chapter 5**

"You sure have been quiet, Dekker. Something wrong?" a redhead asked, turning to a black-haired boy next to her. She was about five foot and had slightly tanned skin. Her eyes were green like the other next to her. She wore a smoke-gray tank top with some red claw marks on the sides, covered by a black jacket; a pair faded jeans; and sky blue converse shoes. A flame pattern adorned the jacket and jeans, and the jacket was left unzipped. Two rings with flame-shaped sapphires rested on her fingers, one on each hand.

"I'm fine, Cathy. I'm curious about Nick's partner. She's… different," Dekker answered as he observed Summer tackle Owen to the ground. Dekker stood at five-foot-seven with a slightly skinny build. His skin was extremely pale, practically white as snow. His clothes consisted of a black sleeveless shirt with two swords on the back and a spiral on the front, khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of black combat boots with zigzag patterns down the sides.

"Yeah. She seems to be quite interesting. I think she'll be good for Nick, knowing him." Dekker nodded in agreement, continuing to watch Summer and her partner. Dekumaru Issun and Catheryn Enryugeki were an interesting pair. Like most Meister-Weapon pairings, they were mostly opposites of one another. Dekker was extremely silent, only speaking when being spoken to, while Cathy, on the other hand, was quite the talker, never letting a second go by silently. The two had been attending DWMA for almost two years now. "Maybe we should invite them to lunch or something at some point. It would be nice to get to know her."

"I guess. It still worries me that Nick hasn't been talking to us though. I know it's been a year now since he's stopped, but it's still a worry," Dekker muttered quietly. Cathy sighed and looked at her partner.

"It _is_ kind of weird that he won't talk to us. We've tried to get the answer out of him for awhile now, but he still won't say a word. But maybe with Summer around, he'll start talking again." Dekker stayed silent, allowing his thoughts to take over. "Do you know why he's stopped saying anything to us?"

"…I have an idea why. All there is left is confirming it. Maybe we should meet up with them today and talk." Cathy smiled and nodded, knowing her Meister's plans were usually planned out well.

"Let's ask them after class then! Should we invite anyone else?"

"It would be better to start out small first so he won't be overwhelmed. He's easily scared off so let's just start with us approaching him first then we can start inviting others," Dekker explained as questions for Nick began to form in his head. Even though he wouldn't be the first to talk, Dekker would be sure to bring up some questions at some point. And like always, he would let Cathy start with an easy topic.

"Right!" And with that, the two silenced as class commenced.

Once class had ended, Cathy immediately went over to Nick and Summer, a bright grin across her face. "Hey there! My name's Catheryn, but call me Cathy! Me and my Meister, Dekker, would like to get to know you two so would you like to come eat with us?" Cathy asked as Nick flinched and shied away from her. Summer glared at Cathy slightly due to the fear the brunet had showed. "Then again, we kind of already know Nick."

"Wait. You _know_ Nick? Like as a friend?" Summer asked, receiving a nod from the redhead. Summer gave both her and Nick a questioning look, obviously not knowing whether or not to believe Cathy. Nick looked away as his eyes met Summer's. Just what was he hiding?

"Yup! Met him before I enrolled here! My partner knew him since they were little and now that he has a partner, we want to get to know you," Cathy answered honestly. "So what do you say? Want to come join us to eat?" Summer looked at Nick, who was still looking away. For some reason, he looked ashamed, almost guilty. The black-haired Weapon looked back at Cathy and nodded.

"Sure. We'll join you." Nick turned to Summer, his expression filled with shock. Before he could object, the Meister was dragged away into the halls by his partner. Once they were out of sight, Dekker joined Cathy at her side. "Don't worry, Dekker. She believed me, and I didn't lie. Although, Nick was acting pretty weird around me. Maybe he is hiding something."

"Well, whatever he's not telling us, hopefully, he'll speak up during our meet-up."

"I hope so too. At least, he's still a pretty easy person to read. It's like all of his emotions are written on his forehead. I wish his thoughts were like that too, though. Then we wouldn't have to question him," Cathy said as she and her partner exited the classroom.

"Sometimes, I wish that was the case too. But like I said before, I already have an idea as too why he's been acting like this," Dekker stated silently, ending the conversation between the two of them.

"Don't worry, Nick. You'll have your friends back in no time. I can just feel it," the young woman said to herself as she observed students exit the school grounds. She watched several specific pairs leave, one of them being a certain Meister and Weapon. "And I'm sure you'll make more friends as well. You may not be able to notice now, but just wait. You'll get there with the help of your partner." A smile found its way onto her expression as another duo approached the two. In front of the four, three other groups were heading in separate directions. "It may not appear as so now, but you will all be needed. I can sense another arriving." The woman shut her eyes and walked away, allowing silence to take over.

_**That's the chapter! I hope it wasn't too disappointing. Anyways, both OCs belong to Edward the Pure. I have nothing to do with them, except for incorporating them into the story. Other than that, nothing. And I'm sure you guys can figure out their general role in the story at the moment. I hope I didn't screw them up, Ed. If I did, just tell me what I did wrong and I'll be sure to fix them by the next time they make an appearance. I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!**_


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